Press Release – New Zealand Post
15 of the country’s most talented young writers have been recognised in the 2012 New Zealand Post ‘Magical Tales by Kiwi Kids‘ writing competition.

The winning stories, selected from more than 3,000 entries, cover a diverse range of subjects  including a cat stalking a bird, a fishing outing steeped in Maori tradition, and a deaf girl contemplating how her differences make her special.

Several of the winning entries have a sporting theme including Auckland schoolgirl Tess Vroegop’s short story where she imagines the honour of escorting the All Black skipper onto Eden Park:

“I look up at the All Blacks towering above us. Soon, we will be with them on the field. One of them beckons me. I walk up and grasp the hand of Richie McCaw as we walk onto the field.”

That story, Playing Rugby with Richie McCaw, and the other winning entries have been lavishly illustrated by Learning Media and will be available online free for others to read and enjoy. We decided to put the winning stories online this year so that everyone can access them and see the budding talent which exists within our school children, said Nicola Airey, head of sponsorship for New Zealand Post.

“In the past two years we produced a printed book with the winning entries, which was available for sale. By making these stories freely available we want to maximise the number of people who can access this young talent on display.

“Making these stories available online also recognises the effects of Government initiatives such as Ultra Fast Broadband (UFB), the Rural Broadband Initiative
(RBI), and Network for Learning – which are changing the learning landscape.